A Nightmare on Elm Street: Harvest of Souls
Truths
By: Fernando Rangel
John Castillo sat in the food court at the mall next to Karen Jennings. He watched the sky from the big sunroof of the mall. He watched as Jennifer Ewing came by with their order.
"How much do we owe you?" He said to Jennifer.
"Oh come on, nothing. It's my treat," she said and looked at him longingly while he grabbed his burger and soda. Karen sat reading her English book and said, "I give up! I am never going to pass English," and threw her hands in the air.
"What now?" John said.
"What the hell is the difference between a paradox, an antithesis, and.the other one.damn it. I hate school."
John looked at her and said, "I actually do not know this one."
Jen and Karen both looked at him in shock.
"What?"
"What? What? You are our Mr. Brain guy. You are our sage. Our savior. Our 'He-who-knows-all.'" Karen looked at him in sheer shock.
"Excuse me for being slightly normal. I know how to tell the difference, I just don't know the difference enough to explain it."
"Oh, well in that case," Karen smacked him in the arm.
"Did you guys hear about the new kid?" Jen said.
"No, what?" John asked as he took a bite out of his burger.
"He had a total freak out in class today. He like, I don't know, it was all weird. He'd fallen asleep in Mr. G's class."
"Fitting in already," Karen said.
"Yes.I mean no, he starts, like screaming, and then he's fucking cut!"
"Oh no way, you're shitting me." John said almost spitting out his soda.
"I shit you not," Jen said.
"Holy fuck," Karen said, "is he ok?"
"Oh yeah, they called the nurse, and they let him go home early."
"God damn, I can't believe I missed this." John said.
"That's not even the half of it. You know what I heard?"
"What?" Karen asked her.
"That he was in a mental hospital."
"No way," John said in disbelief.
"Oh, and that's not the weirdest part, he's living in the old Thompson place."
"That place was torn down," Karen said matter-of-factly.
"Yea, but the place where it was built on wasn't."
"Oh fuck, you're serious? He's living on that place? No wonder the kid's fucked."
"Seems like every kid that lives there goes a bit psycho." Karen replied a bit distracted.
* * * * *
Karen walked down the sidewalk. She turned into her driveway, but stopped and turned around to look at the house across the street, then watched as Chris walked out to get the mail.
She hated that place.
She always had nightmares about that place, this new house looked so much like the old one, but the kid was new, and probably didn't have any friends.
She took a deep breath and headed over toward Chris.
"Hi," she said as she waved her hand.
Chris looked up at her, dropped the mail, and bent down to pick it up, "Sorry, and hi." He stood back up. "I'm Chris Collins, new neighbor. I don't think we met officially at school."
"Oh, no my fault. Please excuse Eric, he's just a big jerk, but he's cool once you get to know him. I'm Karen." She extended her hand, and he took it. "Nice to meet you," he said.
He looked around and said, "Well, um.I am so bored here.what do you guys have to do for fun. You do have like.a theater right?" She laughed, "Yes, we have one, a mall, and we even have a club."
"Ah, so it's not all small town folk." He said smirking.
"So have you seen much of the town?"
"No, I haven't had the chance. Don't really know enough people."
"Oh, well. Change and I'll show you the town." Chris stared at her, "Really?"
"Really. We're neighbors right? And friends? It'd be the neighborly and friendly thing to do."
"All right then, come on inside, and give me a few minutes."
Karen followed Chris into his house and he said, "Just make yourself at home, I'll be down in a minute." Karen sat down on the couch and watched him go up the stairs. The boy issn't half bad, he might actually be cool.
* * * * *
Spike walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. Today was a day of odd occurrences. What was up with Chris? He wondered if the Elm Street curse was real. He never had actually believed it, but with the stories that were being told,.he didn't know anymore.
He walked into his room when he heard pounding at the door. "What the." he said as he turned around.
Finally, the door was burst open. Note to self, lock the doors.
Spike was surprised to hear his name being called by the voice booming downstairs, and he suddenly became quite thankful that his family wasn't home.
"Spike!"
He grinned to himself, How sweet, he came to see me.
Spike walked over to the stair banister and said, "God kid, you're all sweat-like, what the hell happened to you?"
Eric ran up the stairs and grabbed Spike in a huge hug. "Spike, oh Spike, thank God, I thought he'd gotten you."
"Who got what? You're not making." But before he could say more, he was silenced with a kiss. Which was followed by a thousand more. "Oh, I thought you were dead. I was so scared that I'd never see you again." They were in Spike's room now.
"God Eric, what happened?" He looked at Eric in the face and said, "Oh shit, you're bleeding. Sit down."
"No, I'm fine," he said not letting Spike go.
"OK, don't think I'm not fond of the loving hold but, I'm going to have to breathe soon."
"Oh, sorry." He slowly let go.
"What happened?"
"It was a really bad.dream.I guess."
"What happened in the dream to spook you so much?"
Eric looked away. "I was in this cave.thing, and I was being chased, by this.man." He looked at Spike, "I think I've been hearing too many stories, cause the guy said he was Fred Krueger. And he said that he killed you. I was so scared. My heart just stopped. And then I kicked the fucker and started to run, and some how your cousin got in there, and he well, saved me."
"Where'd you get cut?"
"In my dream.I must of hit my head on the nightstand or something when I fell off the bed." Spike watched, as Eric's eyes just stayed on him, terrified.
Spike looked in his eyes and said, "I'm fine. See?"
He stood up and did a turn.
"It was just a dream. We'll be fine." He kissed Eric on the forehead.
Eric closed his eyes and said, "I love you."
Spike looked at him.
It was the first time Eric had said that to him. Spike had said it numerous times, and he only responded "me too".or "ditto."
"I love you too," he looked him in the eyes, " it scared you that much huh?"
"Yeah, the thought of losing you. I can't bear it. Every time I see you, or am near you my heart pines. I just want to go with you somewhere else. Away. Every time I'm with you, my skin hums. I can't bear to be away. And when I am, I'm thinking of you. Every time I leave, it gets harder and harder. And I know most of this is my fault for not wanting to tell anyone, but."
Spike said, "I know what you mean." He half-smiled at him, and kissed him, knocking him back on the bed.
* * * * *
Karen stood up and walked over to the fireplace shelf, and looked at all the pictures. With a big rumble, and laughter, and the shift of shopping bags, came in a couple.
The couple stared at her and the woman said, "Why hello."
"Hi," Karen said, "you must be Chris's mom and dad." She smiled at them.
"Yes, I'm Marsha, Chris's mom, and this is Mo, Chris's dad." Marsha walked up to Karen and took her hand, and said, "And you are?"
"I'm Karen. I live across the street. I go to school with Chris."
"Oh, well, it's a pleasure meeting you," Guillermo said, "are you going somewhere?"
"Oh I was going to show him the town, help him get better aquatinted with it."
"Oh how sweet of you dear," Marsha said. Karen turned back and asked, "Um.I hope you don't mind my asking, but who's this boy in the picture?"
On the sill was a picture of a five year old Chris, and a seven year old boy.
Marsha walked over and became solemn.
"Oh...that's Chris's older brother.," Marsha said.
"Oh, where is he? I'd like to meet him," Karen asked.
Marsh stood quietly and said, "He passed away two years ago...in his sleep..." and she watched as the mother looked at the picture, and watched as Mr. Collins went to put his arm around her.
Karen stood there awkwardly and said, "I'm sorry." There was a long silence until Chris broke it as he came down the stairs shouting, "OK, I'm ready."
He looked at everyone and said, "Mom, dad. When did you guys get here?"
"Oh, just a few minutes ago. We were just talking here with Karen."
"Oh," Chris said.
"Well we should get going," Karen said, "it was nice meeting you all."
"Oh it was nice meeting you too," Mr. Collins said.
Chris turned around and led her out the door mouthing a "thank you" to her.
"Bye mom. Bye dad. I'll see you in a few." He closed the door behind him and followed Karen to her car.
"He's been having the nightmares. I just know it." Marsha told her husband.
"You're overreacting dear."
"No, I'm not."
"They're just stories."
Marsha looked at her husband and said, "You're right. Just stories," she hugged her husband. Just why didn't she believe that?
* * * * *
"So where are we going?" Chris asked and looked at Karen.
"What do you feel like doing?"
"A movie is fine with me. I don't have to see much of this place. Just the places to have 'fun.'" He smiled at her.
"Then a movie is what we'll do first, and then we'll go to the club."
"What's the name of it anyway?"
"Oh, it's called Quake."
"Well, I hope it's cooler, than the name suggests."
"What is it that makes you hate about this town anyway? I mean other than it's small towniness."
Chris looks at the peaked tower of the Ohio State Institution For Troubled Teens, "No reason."
"You're lying. I know when people are lying. What's up with you?"
Chris sighed and said, "Can we just not talk about it?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry."
"Oh, no, it's just.I'm not really into talking about me. Never had to. There are just a lot of reasons, and I'm not really into sharing mode."
"Is it cause you were in a M.I.?"
"M.I.?"
"Mental Institution," she said shiftily.
Chris looked at her and said, "Where did you hear that?"
"Just something the kids at school were saying. Not that I believe them, but."
"I was."
She looked at him shocked as he looked away from her. She had never expected him to actually tell her, "Y-you don't have to."
"I wasn't sleeping. I was having nightmares. Really bad ones."
"About your brother?"
"Some," he said looking down at his shoes, " others.I don't know. They were just.nightmares."
"So why were you put in there? For nightmares?"
"Because I wasn't sleeping. Sleep deprivation. Caused by guilt, they said. So, they gave me a shrink, who told me that I could trust people. That I didn't have to be so closed about myself. And so forth. Finally, when nothing helped the dreams just stopped. And I was better. So, they let me out. Not that there was ever anything wrong.I just, was so scared I.just.stopped sleeping." He watched as the trees flew by in the window.
"Yea, I probably would to," and after a moment of silence she asked, " so do you like butter on your popcorn?"
Chris gave her a smile.
* * * * *
John and Jen clumsily walked into the house giggling. "That was funny. Absolutely the best movie ever." John said as he smiled at Jen. He crashed onto the couch and looked at Jen as she sat in the chair and turned on the TV. An old episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was playing.
"Can you believe that our parents watched this stuff?"
"Hey Buffy's cool. And you know this."
Jen watched as John intently watched as Faith was in Buffy's body, and talked to Spike, pinning him to a corner. "I could ride you at a gallop, until your knees buckled, and your eyes rolled back. I've got muscles you've never even dreamed of. I could squeeze you until you popped like warm champagne, and you'd beg me to hurt you just a little more. And you know why I don't? Because it's wrong."
"Can you say Slut-oh-rama?"
"Shut up, you know you like this show," John said as he watched his best friend look at him.
"Whatever." She said watching the show. "I only watch it cause of that Spike guy, he's cute."
"Speaking of Spike, what's up with him?"
"I don't know."
"You mean you guys aren't dating anymore?"
"When were we ever?"
"Um.you told me you guys were."
"That was two years ago." *And he's gay, * she thought.
"Oh," John said looking back at the television.
Jen watched her best friend as he dozed off to sleep.
She hated the fact that he had never noticed her.
She loved the guy with all her heart.
And if she had to, she'd die for John. But when was he ever going to notice? She wasn't going to be young and nubile forever.
She looked at him and wondered what it'd be like to be his girlfriend.
If it would be everything, she ever wanted.
She sighed and watched as he fell asleep peacefully.
She knew they say that if you can watch someone sleep for hours on end, without saying or doing anything.you know you're in love.
She'd done that for so many years.
She sat quietly, and turned the television off and watched as he dreamt.
* * * * *
John's eyes fluttered open and said, "Jen, could you get me some water?" He repeated himself, and when she didn't answer, he looked at the chair where he last saw his best friend and said, "Jen?" When he saw she wasn't there, he stood up and said, "Jen you leave?"
He walked into the kitchen and saw no one.
He decided to check upstairs, maybe she wanted to get online.
His house was her house.
He ran upstairs and said, "Jen you doof, you let me sleep." When no one was there he thought, *That's weird, she's usually here all night. *
He walked to his closet and pulled out some pajamas and a towel then headed for the shower. Once in, he started to take off his shirt when he heard a creak.
He listened a little more, and nothing.
He proceeded to take off his pants when he heard the creak again. He buttoned his pant back on, and walked into the hall. "Hello? Jen? Is that you?" He continued down the hall, and saw no one. Then the doorbell rang breaking the silence and startling John. He went back into the restroom and put his shirt back on and headed down stairs.
He crept over to the door and opened it.
No one was there.
Angrily he shouted, "Don't you kids think you're a little too old to play Ding Dong Ditch?" He began to close the door when someone slammed it open and said, "Hardly," and kicked John in the stomach.
John looked up.
It was Freddy.
"Holy fuck," he said, "what the hell happened to you?"
He stood up and started to back away, but Freddy followed and said, "Got cornered, then burned alive, left for dead."
"Oh," John said, and broke into a run upstairs.
"Where do you think you're going?" Freddy said as he materialized in front of John and kicked him in the stomach. John rolled down the stairs, bumping his head harder and harder with each step. John looked up to see a blurred and grinning Freddy. He crawled and backed into the wall and tried to get up, but Freddy grabbed his shirt and flexed his glove.
* * * * *
Jen watched as John thrashed from side to side, and his eyeball twitched from side to side from underneath the eyelid. When he began screaming she knew that she had to wake him up.
She rushed over to him and started to call him.
She shook him violently and he shot up, knocking her down. He was breathing hard, and his stomach had a bit of blood seeping through his white shirt.
"Oh God, John you're stomach."
"Jen," he said and hugged her. "Oh thank God, it was just a dream."
"You're bleeding!"
"What?" He said grunting as he looked down and pressed lightly at his stomach. "Oh fuck."
He stood up, leaning against Jennifer and said, "There is a first aide kit over there in the kitchen. They walked over to it, and he took off his shirt.
She, for a second got flustered at the sight of him with his shirt off, and then composed herself and tended to his wound.
* * * * *
Chris walked into school the next day and went to his locker. He turned his head to see Karen walk in alone. He quickly grabbed his English book, and slammed his locker shut. He slowly walked over to Karen, who wore sunglasses.
"You Ok?" He asked her.
"Yeah, I just have been having trouble sleeping."
"Ah, bags."
"Huh?"
"The sunglasses," he said, "that explains them." He smiled at her as she laughed. "Yeah, that explains it."
"I had fun last night. Thanks for taking me out."
"Oh, no. Thank you. I haven't had fun like that in a long time."
"Oh, aren't you with Eric. I mean don't you guys do things like that?"
"Yeah, but it's.it's different with him. Like he's not always there. Like he's thinking about being somewhere else. Maybe it's my imagination or something."
"Maybe, any guy would be lucky to have you." He said quietly and then quickly said, "I've got to get to class. See you around."
She smiled at him as he scurried away, "Cute. Very cute." She said to herself. Hopefully I'll see you real soon, she thought and grinned to herself. She walked over to her locker, and grabbed her extra emergency make-up bag, and headed into the girl's bathroom. Once Karen walked into the restroom and passed a girl smoking.
She coughed a bit and the girl said, "Sorry, force of habit," and deposited some ash in the trashcan.
"It's ok." Karen said to her cheerily.
Kerry watched as Karen applied her make-up. "Jesus Christ, you put on a lot of shit. You're not meeting the president princess. Its just school."
"Sorry, force of habit." She said a bit sarcastically but Kerry didn't pay much attention.
Once she was done, Karen said good bye and headed to class.
Kerry took another drag and watched as the smoke swirled around in the air. Her eyes began to become heavy.
She readjusted herself on the seat by the window, and looked out of it. She looked through the tiny thing, as Spike and Eric climbed the steps to class. They're gay, she thought. Then her eyes got droopier and she fell asleep.
* * * * *
Kerry woke to the sound of birds chirping.
She sat up and looked around her.
A forest.
She stood up, and saw the hazy mist, and the big oak trees. It was like she was in a fairy tale, she looked down at her dress and it was with the medieval theme, a pink dress of the times, and a pointed hat that most princesses wore. All the time as a little girl, she loved to have been a princess, to be saved by Prince Charming. She loved these dreams of being whisked away from her life, and being with her handsome prince.
She gleefully frolicked through the forest playing with the little gnomes, and all the fairies. This was her best dream yet.
She watched happily as her prince came galloping on his beautiful white stead, fast, and beautiful.
She loved this part.
Suddenly she screamed.
It wasn't her prince, he wasn't on a white stead, and he wasn't here to save her.
Instead, she saw a charred man in a dirty green and red sweater, and a dusty brown hat.
He rode on a decaying black horse, and he came at her with a large ax.
She turned to run, her feet pounded as the dead horse's own pounding increasingly came closer, but with a shriek that was cut short. Freddy watched as the body collapsed on its knees and fell down, and he gleefully watched as the head rolled away next to a pair of squirrels.
He relished at the blood flowing from out of the neck.
"How's that for medieval."
* * * * *
Spike and Eric ran up the steps of the school.
In the hall, they scanned and combed the students looking for Chris, Karen, Jen, and John. Once their search proved pointless, Eric turned to Spike and said, "You find your cousin. I'll get the others."
"Right," Spike nodded in assurance. He hoped to God that they weren't crazy.
He moved to give Eric a kiss, when he remembered where he was and awkwardly patted Eric on the shoulder and then turned and ran off.
* * * * *
Jen watched as John carefully slid into his desk slowly, with a sharp pain in his abdomen. As he hissed and cursed under his breath, words that would have made his "Stepford Mother" blush ten shades red, Jen asked, "How DID that happen anyway?"
"Hell if I know. But it hurts like a bitch. Ten of them actually," he said with a smirk full of pain.
Jen nodded her head, and gave him a mock smile. Her loving forlorn heart broke as she watched him swallow the pain for her, to show her he was a tough guy.
She thought it made him even cuter, although she didn't know if that was humanly possible.
She inwardly sighed and thought, I'm sick. I need help.
John worriedly watched Jen looking at him with pain in her eyes. "What did I do now?" He asked.
"Huh?"
"You've got 'cancer puppy' face. What's up?"
"Sorry," she blushed, "I hate seeing you in pain." She looked away and turned ten shades redder then humanly possible.
John smiled at her and said, "I'm fine." He touched her chin and looked her in the eyes, "Really."
"M-Kay," she said.
Her lustful heart pounded and pined as he touched her chin.
She became light-headed.
Was he going to kiss her? It showed all the signs of pre-ready kissage, she told herself.
Her pink voluptuous lips ached for his as he drew nearer, causing her mouth to dry, and it only worsened the closer he got.
Finally, he kissed her.on her forehead.
Of course, she thought.
* * * * *
Chris watched as Karen wrote in her notebook.
His heart skipped a beat as she brushed hair from her eyes and slid it behind her ears. Is this a crush Chris? He told himself, Don't you think it's a bit too early in the year for this? He said to himself again.
He knew all this was true.
And it'd be good not to get attached.
But of course, he zoned out that little pesky voice of reason and logic.
Besides, why ruin a perfectly good warm and fuzzy. God knows he hadn't had many of them.
He sighed a bit as he watched her lay her head on her hands, and close her eyes.
She was even prettier when she was asleep.
* * * * *
"Dreams," said the teacher. "What the fuck are they? Where the hell do they come from? Is it our shitty fucked up mind trying to tease us or scare us shitless?" The teacher jumped on his desk.
Jeremiah Hinojosa, the newest member of the faculty, was just fresh out of college and a lot more liberal and hipper than most of the old sixty- something and eighty-something teachers.
He was much more popular than those teachers were. Mostly because the students could call him Jeremiah, as long as they didn't add 'the bullfrog' at the end, and because cussing was not important to him.
He loved doing it. Besides, if students talked straight with him, and he to them, the more he could help them.
"Aristotle believed that dreams were worlds, other realms that our souls drifted off to. Kind of like astral projection with a fucked up destination," he said as the students laughed. Of course, the only draw back to Jeremiah, would be his lame jokes and comments.
They laughed out of pity.
He jumped off his desk and walked around the classroom saying, "He also believed that sometimes, when the Gods were bored, they allowed 'the dream master' to intervene in these other realms, and pretty much fuck the hell out of you." He looked at them for a second and said, "Not literally of course."
One person sighed loudly causing a bit of laughter.
Jeremiah cleared his throat and continued, "What I meant was, if the 'master of dreams' killed you, you really wouldn't be in the union anymore. He said that the dream worlds were very much as real as our reality. The soul was an extension of our bodies, so subjected to the same rules. At least that's what I think it meant."
The class laughed as he sighed and went to his desk and said, "Homework!"
Groans of filled the room.
"Hey! Pipe the fuck down." He smiled at that and said, "Your job for tonight is to record your dreams, and to analyze them, actually have someone else analyze them. This is psyche class after all. Did you really think you'd go through this class without finding out how fucked up you really are, did you?"
Most of the class laughed it off, but some kept quiet. Mostly because many of them had homicidal-kill mom, dad, brother, and sister type dreams, which scared them a bit.
Chris shifted a bit uneasily. He'd this before; none of it turned out good.
Karen yawned and fell into deep sleep as the class began to chatter for the last five minutes of class, while Jeremiah graded a couple psyche tests, and Chris watched her sleep.
* * * * *
Karen walked into the club slowly. She looked around at the inside with its warehouse look, purple and green couches, with blue pillows. She looked out onto the dance floor; only a few couples were dancing. She saw John reluctantly dancing with Jen, who was absorbing all she could from this moment. Oddly, there wasn't any music playing and no one was saying a word.
The room was slow, and eerily silent.
It scared her.
She looked toward one of the couches and saw Eric and Spike making out.
She watched as he cupped Spike's cheek and made out in front of her. HER boyfriend, making out with another BOY.
Spike no less, Eric had always hated Spike.
She looked down and suddenly she jumped when tapped on the shoulder. She turned around and saw Chris. Suddenly Eric's gayness, or would be gayness, didn't matter.
Besides-it's just a dream.
"Chris," she said her voice sounding strange in the surrounding silence.
She followed him onto the dance floor and obligingly danced with him, putting her head on his chest.
She liked being in his arms, she felt safe, like he was here to protect her. She smiled to herself and said to him, "Y'know this is nice. I've never felt like this with anyone.even Eric."
"Me too," he said a bit mechanically.
She didn't even notice.
She looked at him in the eyes and she kissed him.
She felt his tongue slide into her mouth, going farther in, and suddenly she was choking.
Her eyes opened wide.
She watched as Chris morphed into a horribly burned man who was choking her with his elongated tongue.
* * * * *
Chris watched as Karen coughed and then suddenly began choking in her sleep.
The kids backed away, and the teacher jumped back into the chalkboard.
"What the fuck is wrong with you guys?" Chris shouted and jumped over the desk and swiftly went to the girl.
"Karen," he shouted, "Karen wake up!" He shook her shoulders.
"No don't she's just having a nightmare, she has to face it, she'll be fine," Jeremiah said, trying to reassure the kids that things would be fine.
"What the fuck do you know? Look at her! Do you think people do that during nightmares you fucking prick?
Jeremiah stepped back in awe.
He watched as Chris yelled her name, and tried to wake her up.
Her face was turning blue and purple.
Suddenly the class bell rang loudly, filling the room.
No one moved and finally Karen shouted, "No!" Her eyes were open wide, and horrified, and she gasped for air, and fell into Chris's arms.
The kids stared at her for a few moments and left. Spike came running into the room and said, "Chris! Karen!" They turned to look at him. "You Ok?" They nodded and he said, "Good. C'mon, we need to talk."
"Yeah. Take Karen. I'll get our stuff." He handed the still shaken Karen to Spike, and watched as they walked out of the room. He grabbed his pack and stuffed in his pen and notebook.
He turned back to get Karen's things when the teacher said, "I told you she'd wake up." Chris stopped and looked him in the eyes and said, "Thanks to the bell, not you. Another 30 seconds, and you'd have another dead student."
"You don't believe that stuff I said earlier do you? It was old classic shit."
"I've done the dream thing. None of it is good. You don't find out anything good, it's all bad."
He picked up Karen's things.
"Chris." the teacher began, but Chris cut him off by "flipping the bird" and said, "Fuck off Mr. Hinojosa," and walked out of the room.
Truths
By: Fernando Rangel
John Castillo sat in the food court at the mall next to Karen Jennings. He watched the sky from the big sunroof of the mall. He watched as Jennifer Ewing came by with their order.
"How much do we owe you?" He said to Jennifer.
"Oh come on, nothing. It's my treat," she said and looked at him longingly while he grabbed his burger and soda. Karen sat reading her English book and said, "I give up! I am never going to pass English," and threw her hands in the air.
"What now?" John said.
"What the hell is the difference between a paradox, an antithesis, and.the other one.damn it. I hate school."
John looked at her and said, "I actually do not know this one."
Jen and Karen both looked at him in shock.
"What?"
"What? What? You are our Mr. Brain guy. You are our sage. Our savior. Our 'He-who-knows-all.'" Karen looked at him in sheer shock.
"Excuse me for being slightly normal. I know how to tell the difference, I just don't know the difference enough to explain it."
"Oh, well in that case," Karen smacked him in the arm.
"Did you guys hear about the new kid?" Jen said.
"No, what?" John asked as he took a bite out of his burger.
"He had a total freak out in class today. He like, I don't know, it was all weird. He'd fallen asleep in Mr. G's class."
"Fitting in already," Karen said.
"Yes.I mean no, he starts, like screaming, and then he's fucking cut!"
"Oh no way, you're shitting me." John said almost spitting out his soda.
"I shit you not," Jen said.
"Holy fuck," Karen said, "is he ok?"
"Oh yeah, they called the nurse, and they let him go home early."
"God damn, I can't believe I missed this." John said.
"That's not even the half of it. You know what I heard?"
"What?" Karen asked her.
"That he was in a mental hospital."
"No way," John said in disbelief.
"Oh, and that's not the weirdest part, he's living in the old Thompson place."
"That place was torn down," Karen said matter-of-factly.
"Yea, but the place where it was built on wasn't."
"Oh fuck, you're serious? He's living on that place? No wonder the kid's fucked."
"Seems like every kid that lives there goes a bit psycho." Karen replied a bit distracted.
* * * * *
Karen walked down the sidewalk. She turned into her driveway, but stopped and turned around to look at the house across the street, then watched as Chris walked out to get the mail.
She hated that place.
She always had nightmares about that place, this new house looked so much like the old one, but the kid was new, and probably didn't have any friends.
She took a deep breath and headed over toward Chris.
"Hi," she said as she waved her hand.
Chris looked up at her, dropped the mail, and bent down to pick it up, "Sorry, and hi." He stood back up. "I'm Chris Collins, new neighbor. I don't think we met officially at school."
"Oh, no my fault. Please excuse Eric, he's just a big jerk, but he's cool once you get to know him. I'm Karen." She extended her hand, and he took it. "Nice to meet you," he said.
He looked around and said, "Well, um.I am so bored here.what do you guys have to do for fun. You do have like.a theater right?" She laughed, "Yes, we have one, a mall, and we even have a club."
"Ah, so it's not all small town folk." He said smirking.
"So have you seen much of the town?"
"No, I haven't had the chance. Don't really know enough people."
"Oh, well. Change and I'll show you the town." Chris stared at her, "Really?"
"Really. We're neighbors right? And friends? It'd be the neighborly and friendly thing to do."
"All right then, come on inside, and give me a few minutes."
Karen followed Chris into his house and he said, "Just make yourself at home, I'll be down in a minute." Karen sat down on the couch and watched him go up the stairs. The boy issn't half bad, he might actually be cool.
* * * * *
Spike walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. Today was a day of odd occurrences. What was up with Chris? He wondered if the Elm Street curse was real. He never had actually believed it, but with the stories that were being told,.he didn't know anymore.
He walked into his room when he heard pounding at the door. "What the." he said as he turned around.
Finally, the door was burst open. Note to self, lock the doors.
Spike was surprised to hear his name being called by the voice booming downstairs, and he suddenly became quite thankful that his family wasn't home.
"Spike!"
He grinned to himself, How sweet, he came to see me.
Spike walked over to the stair banister and said, "God kid, you're all sweat-like, what the hell happened to you?"
Eric ran up the stairs and grabbed Spike in a huge hug. "Spike, oh Spike, thank God, I thought he'd gotten you."
"Who got what? You're not making." But before he could say more, he was silenced with a kiss. Which was followed by a thousand more. "Oh, I thought you were dead. I was so scared that I'd never see you again." They were in Spike's room now.
"God Eric, what happened?" He looked at Eric in the face and said, "Oh shit, you're bleeding. Sit down."
"No, I'm fine," he said not letting Spike go.
"OK, don't think I'm not fond of the loving hold but, I'm going to have to breathe soon."
"Oh, sorry." He slowly let go.
"What happened?"
"It was a really bad.dream.I guess."
"What happened in the dream to spook you so much?"
Eric looked away. "I was in this cave.thing, and I was being chased, by this.man." He looked at Spike, "I think I've been hearing too many stories, cause the guy said he was Fred Krueger. And he said that he killed you. I was so scared. My heart just stopped. And then I kicked the fucker and started to run, and some how your cousin got in there, and he well, saved me."
"Where'd you get cut?"
"In my dream.I must of hit my head on the nightstand or something when I fell off the bed." Spike watched, as Eric's eyes just stayed on him, terrified.
Spike looked in his eyes and said, "I'm fine. See?"
He stood up and did a turn.
"It was just a dream. We'll be fine." He kissed Eric on the forehead.
Eric closed his eyes and said, "I love you."
Spike looked at him.
It was the first time Eric had said that to him. Spike had said it numerous times, and he only responded "me too".or "ditto."
"I love you too," he looked him in the eyes, " it scared you that much huh?"
"Yeah, the thought of losing you. I can't bear it. Every time I see you, or am near you my heart pines. I just want to go with you somewhere else. Away. Every time I'm with you, my skin hums. I can't bear to be away. And when I am, I'm thinking of you. Every time I leave, it gets harder and harder. And I know most of this is my fault for not wanting to tell anyone, but."
Spike said, "I know what you mean." He half-smiled at him, and kissed him, knocking him back on the bed.
* * * * *
Karen stood up and walked over to the fireplace shelf, and looked at all the pictures. With a big rumble, and laughter, and the shift of shopping bags, came in a couple.
The couple stared at her and the woman said, "Why hello."
"Hi," Karen said, "you must be Chris's mom and dad." She smiled at them.
"Yes, I'm Marsha, Chris's mom, and this is Mo, Chris's dad." Marsha walked up to Karen and took her hand, and said, "And you are?"
"I'm Karen. I live across the street. I go to school with Chris."
"Oh, well, it's a pleasure meeting you," Guillermo said, "are you going somewhere?"
"Oh I was going to show him the town, help him get better aquatinted with it."
"Oh how sweet of you dear," Marsha said. Karen turned back and asked, "Um.I hope you don't mind my asking, but who's this boy in the picture?"
On the sill was a picture of a five year old Chris, and a seven year old boy.
Marsha walked over and became solemn.
"Oh...that's Chris's older brother.," Marsha said.
"Oh, where is he? I'd like to meet him," Karen asked.
Marsh stood quietly and said, "He passed away two years ago...in his sleep..." and she watched as the mother looked at the picture, and watched as Mr. Collins went to put his arm around her.
Karen stood there awkwardly and said, "I'm sorry." There was a long silence until Chris broke it as he came down the stairs shouting, "OK, I'm ready."
He looked at everyone and said, "Mom, dad. When did you guys get here?"
"Oh, just a few minutes ago. We were just talking here with Karen."
"Oh," Chris said.
"Well we should get going," Karen said, "it was nice meeting you all."
"Oh it was nice meeting you too," Mr. Collins said.
Chris turned around and led her out the door mouthing a "thank you" to her.
"Bye mom. Bye dad. I'll see you in a few." He closed the door behind him and followed Karen to her car.
"He's been having the nightmares. I just know it." Marsha told her husband.
"You're overreacting dear."
"No, I'm not."
"They're just stories."
Marsha looked at her husband and said, "You're right. Just stories," she hugged her husband. Just why didn't she believe that?
* * * * *
"So where are we going?" Chris asked and looked at Karen.
"What do you feel like doing?"
"A movie is fine with me. I don't have to see much of this place. Just the places to have 'fun.'" He smiled at her.
"Then a movie is what we'll do first, and then we'll go to the club."
"What's the name of it anyway?"
"Oh, it's called Quake."
"Well, I hope it's cooler, than the name suggests."
"What is it that makes you hate about this town anyway? I mean other than it's small towniness."
Chris looks at the peaked tower of the Ohio State Institution For Troubled Teens, "No reason."
"You're lying. I know when people are lying. What's up with you?"
Chris sighed and said, "Can we just not talk about it?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry."
"Oh, no, it's just.I'm not really into talking about me. Never had to. There are just a lot of reasons, and I'm not really into sharing mode."
"Is it cause you were in a M.I.?"
"M.I.?"
"Mental Institution," she said shiftily.
Chris looked at her and said, "Where did you hear that?"
"Just something the kids at school were saying. Not that I believe them, but."
"I was."
She looked at him shocked as he looked away from her. She had never expected him to actually tell her, "Y-you don't have to."
"I wasn't sleeping. I was having nightmares. Really bad ones."
"About your brother?"
"Some," he said looking down at his shoes, " others.I don't know. They were just.nightmares."
"So why were you put in there? For nightmares?"
"Because I wasn't sleeping. Sleep deprivation. Caused by guilt, they said. So, they gave me a shrink, who told me that I could trust people. That I didn't have to be so closed about myself. And so forth. Finally, when nothing helped the dreams just stopped. And I was better. So, they let me out. Not that there was ever anything wrong.I just, was so scared I.just.stopped sleeping." He watched as the trees flew by in the window.
"Yea, I probably would to," and after a moment of silence she asked, " so do you like butter on your popcorn?"
Chris gave her a smile.
* * * * *
John and Jen clumsily walked into the house giggling. "That was funny. Absolutely the best movie ever." John said as he smiled at Jen. He crashed onto the couch and looked at Jen as she sat in the chair and turned on the TV. An old episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was playing.
"Can you believe that our parents watched this stuff?"
"Hey Buffy's cool. And you know this."
Jen watched as John intently watched as Faith was in Buffy's body, and talked to Spike, pinning him to a corner. "I could ride you at a gallop, until your knees buckled, and your eyes rolled back. I've got muscles you've never even dreamed of. I could squeeze you until you popped like warm champagne, and you'd beg me to hurt you just a little more. And you know why I don't? Because it's wrong."
"Can you say Slut-oh-rama?"
"Shut up, you know you like this show," John said as he watched his best friend look at him.
"Whatever." She said watching the show. "I only watch it cause of that Spike guy, he's cute."
"Speaking of Spike, what's up with him?"
"I don't know."
"You mean you guys aren't dating anymore?"
"When were we ever?"
"Um.you told me you guys were."
"That was two years ago." *And he's gay, * she thought.
"Oh," John said looking back at the television.
Jen watched her best friend as he dozed off to sleep.
She hated the fact that he had never noticed her.
She loved the guy with all her heart.
And if she had to, she'd die for John. But when was he ever going to notice? She wasn't going to be young and nubile forever.
She looked at him and wondered what it'd be like to be his girlfriend.
If it would be everything, she ever wanted.
She sighed and watched as he fell asleep peacefully.
She knew they say that if you can watch someone sleep for hours on end, without saying or doing anything.you know you're in love.
She'd done that for so many years.
She sat quietly, and turned the television off and watched as he dreamt.
* * * * *
John's eyes fluttered open and said, "Jen, could you get me some water?" He repeated himself, and when she didn't answer, he looked at the chair where he last saw his best friend and said, "Jen?" When he saw she wasn't there, he stood up and said, "Jen you leave?"
He walked into the kitchen and saw no one.
He decided to check upstairs, maybe she wanted to get online.
His house was her house.
He ran upstairs and said, "Jen you doof, you let me sleep." When no one was there he thought, *That's weird, she's usually here all night. *
He walked to his closet and pulled out some pajamas and a towel then headed for the shower. Once in, he started to take off his shirt when he heard a creak.
He listened a little more, and nothing.
He proceeded to take off his pants when he heard the creak again. He buttoned his pant back on, and walked into the hall. "Hello? Jen? Is that you?" He continued down the hall, and saw no one. Then the doorbell rang breaking the silence and startling John. He went back into the restroom and put his shirt back on and headed down stairs.
He crept over to the door and opened it.
No one was there.
Angrily he shouted, "Don't you kids think you're a little too old to play Ding Dong Ditch?" He began to close the door when someone slammed it open and said, "Hardly," and kicked John in the stomach.
John looked up.
It was Freddy.
"Holy fuck," he said, "what the hell happened to you?"
He stood up and started to back away, but Freddy followed and said, "Got cornered, then burned alive, left for dead."
"Oh," John said, and broke into a run upstairs.
"Where do you think you're going?" Freddy said as he materialized in front of John and kicked him in the stomach. John rolled down the stairs, bumping his head harder and harder with each step. John looked up to see a blurred and grinning Freddy. He crawled and backed into the wall and tried to get up, but Freddy grabbed his shirt and flexed his glove.
* * * * *
Jen watched as John thrashed from side to side, and his eyeball twitched from side to side from underneath the eyelid. When he began screaming she knew that she had to wake him up.
She rushed over to him and started to call him.
She shook him violently and he shot up, knocking her down. He was breathing hard, and his stomach had a bit of blood seeping through his white shirt.
"Oh God, John you're stomach."
"Jen," he said and hugged her. "Oh thank God, it was just a dream."
"You're bleeding!"
"What?" He said grunting as he looked down and pressed lightly at his stomach. "Oh fuck."
He stood up, leaning against Jennifer and said, "There is a first aide kit over there in the kitchen. They walked over to it, and he took off his shirt.
She, for a second got flustered at the sight of him with his shirt off, and then composed herself and tended to his wound.
* * * * *
Chris walked into school the next day and went to his locker. He turned his head to see Karen walk in alone. He quickly grabbed his English book, and slammed his locker shut. He slowly walked over to Karen, who wore sunglasses.
"You Ok?" He asked her.
"Yeah, I just have been having trouble sleeping."
"Ah, bags."
"Huh?"
"The sunglasses," he said, "that explains them." He smiled at her as she laughed. "Yeah, that explains it."
"I had fun last night. Thanks for taking me out."
"Oh, no. Thank you. I haven't had fun like that in a long time."
"Oh, aren't you with Eric. I mean don't you guys do things like that?"
"Yeah, but it's.it's different with him. Like he's not always there. Like he's thinking about being somewhere else. Maybe it's my imagination or something."
"Maybe, any guy would be lucky to have you." He said quietly and then quickly said, "I've got to get to class. See you around."
She smiled at him as he scurried away, "Cute. Very cute." She said to herself. Hopefully I'll see you real soon, she thought and grinned to herself. She walked over to her locker, and grabbed her extra emergency make-up bag, and headed into the girl's bathroom. Once Karen walked into the restroom and passed a girl smoking.
She coughed a bit and the girl said, "Sorry, force of habit," and deposited some ash in the trashcan.
"It's ok." Karen said to her cheerily.
Kerry watched as Karen applied her make-up. "Jesus Christ, you put on a lot of shit. You're not meeting the president princess. Its just school."
"Sorry, force of habit." She said a bit sarcastically but Kerry didn't pay much attention.
Once she was done, Karen said good bye and headed to class.
Kerry took another drag and watched as the smoke swirled around in the air. Her eyes began to become heavy.
She readjusted herself on the seat by the window, and looked out of it. She looked through the tiny thing, as Spike and Eric climbed the steps to class. They're gay, she thought. Then her eyes got droopier and she fell asleep.
* * * * *
Kerry woke to the sound of birds chirping.
She sat up and looked around her.
A forest.
She stood up, and saw the hazy mist, and the big oak trees. It was like she was in a fairy tale, she looked down at her dress and it was with the medieval theme, a pink dress of the times, and a pointed hat that most princesses wore. All the time as a little girl, she loved to have been a princess, to be saved by Prince Charming. She loved these dreams of being whisked away from her life, and being with her handsome prince.
She gleefully frolicked through the forest playing with the little gnomes, and all the fairies. This was her best dream yet.
She watched happily as her prince came galloping on his beautiful white stead, fast, and beautiful.
She loved this part.
Suddenly she screamed.
It wasn't her prince, he wasn't on a white stead, and he wasn't here to save her.
Instead, she saw a charred man in a dirty green and red sweater, and a dusty brown hat.
He rode on a decaying black horse, and he came at her with a large ax.
She turned to run, her feet pounded as the dead horse's own pounding increasingly came closer, but with a shriek that was cut short. Freddy watched as the body collapsed on its knees and fell down, and he gleefully watched as the head rolled away next to a pair of squirrels.
He relished at the blood flowing from out of the neck.
"How's that for medieval."
* * * * *
Spike and Eric ran up the steps of the school.
In the hall, they scanned and combed the students looking for Chris, Karen, Jen, and John. Once their search proved pointless, Eric turned to Spike and said, "You find your cousin. I'll get the others."
"Right," Spike nodded in assurance. He hoped to God that they weren't crazy.
He moved to give Eric a kiss, when he remembered where he was and awkwardly patted Eric on the shoulder and then turned and ran off.
* * * * *
Jen watched as John carefully slid into his desk slowly, with a sharp pain in his abdomen. As he hissed and cursed under his breath, words that would have made his "Stepford Mother" blush ten shades red, Jen asked, "How DID that happen anyway?"
"Hell if I know. But it hurts like a bitch. Ten of them actually," he said with a smirk full of pain.
Jen nodded her head, and gave him a mock smile. Her loving forlorn heart broke as she watched him swallow the pain for her, to show her he was a tough guy.
She thought it made him even cuter, although she didn't know if that was humanly possible.
She inwardly sighed and thought, I'm sick. I need help.
John worriedly watched Jen looking at him with pain in her eyes. "What did I do now?" He asked.
"Huh?"
"You've got 'cancer puppy' face. What's up?"
"Sorry," she blushed, "I hate seeing you in pain." She looked away and turned ten shades redder then humanly possible.
John smiled at her and said, "I'm fine." He touched her chin and looked her in the eyes, "Really."
"M-Kay," she said.
Her lustful heart pounded and pined as he touched her chin.
She became light-headed.
Was he going to kiss her? It showed all the signs of pre-ready kissage, she told herself.
Her pink voluptuous lips ached for his as he drew nearer, causing her mouth to dry, and it only worsened the closer he got.
Finally, he kissed her.on her forehead.
Of course, she thought.
* * * * *
Chris watched as Karen wrote in her notebook.
His heart skipped a beat as she brushed hair from her eyes and slid it behind her ears. Is this a crush Chris? He told himself, Don't you think it's a bit too early in the year for this? He said to himself again.
He knew all this was true.
And it'd be good not to get attached.
But of course, he zoned out that little pesky voice of reason and logic.
Besides, why ruin a perfectly good warm and fuzzy. God knows he hadn't had many of them.
He sighed a bit as he watched her lay her head on her hands, and close her eyes.
She was even prettier when she was asleep.
* * * * *
"Dreams," said the teacher. "What the fuck are they? Where the hell do they come from? Is it our shitty fucked up mind trying to tease us or scare us shitless?" The teacher jumped on his desk.
Jeremiah Hinojosa, the newest member of the faculty, was just fresh out of college and a lot more liberal and hipper than most of the old sixty- something and eighty-something teachers.
He was much more popular than those teachers were. Mostly because the students could call him Jeremiah, as long as they didn't add 'the bullfrog' at the end, and because cussing was not important to him.
He loved doing it. Besides, if students talked straight with him, and he to them, the more he could help them.
"Aristotle believed that dreams were worlds, other realms that our souls drifted off to. Kind of like astral projection with a fucked up destination," he said as the students laughed. Of course, the only draw back to Jeremiah, would be his lame jokes and comments.
They laughed out of pity.
He jumped off his desk and walked around the classroom saying, "He also believed that sometimes, when the Gods were bored, they allowed 'the dream master' to intervene in these other realms, and pretty much fuck the hell out of you." He looked at them for a second and said, "Not literally of course."
One person sighed loudly causing a bit of laughter.
Jeremiah cleared his throat and continued, "What I meant was, if the 'master of dreams' killed you, you really wouldn't be in the union anymore. He said that the dream worlds were very much as real as our reality. The soul was an extension of our bodies, so subjected to the same rules. At least that's what I think it meant."
The class laughed as he sighed and went to his desk and said, "Homework!"
Groans of filled the room.
"Hey! Pipe the fuck down." He smiled at that and said, "Your job for tonight is to record your dreams, and to analyze them, actually have someone else analyze them. This is psyche class after all. Did you really think you'd go through this class without finding out how fucked up you really are, did you?"
Most of the class laughed it off, but some kept quiet. Mostly because many of them had homicidal-kill mom, dad, brother, and sister type dreams, which scared them a bit.
Chris shifted a bit uneasily. He'd this before; none of it turned out good.
Karen yawned and fell into deep sleep as the class began to chatter for the last five minutes of class, while Jeremiah graded a couple psyche tests, and Chris watched her sleep.
* * * * *
Karen walked into the club slowly. She looked around at the inside with its warehouse look, purple and green couches, with blue pillows. She looked out onto the dance floor; only a few couples were dancing. She saw John reluctantly dancing with Jen, who was absorbing all she could from this moment. Oddly, there wasn't any music playing and no one was saying a word.
The room was slow, and eerily silent.
It scared her.
She looked toward one of the couches and saw Eric and Spike making out.
She watched as he cupped Spike's cheek and made out in front of her. HER boyfriend, making out with another BOY.
Spike no less, Eric had always hated Spike.
She looked down and suddenly she jumped when tapped on the shoulder. She turned around and saw Chris. Suddenly Eric's gayness, or would be gayness, didn't matter.
Besides-it's just a dream.
"Chris," she said her voice sounding strange in the surrounding silence.
She followed him onto the dance floor and obligingly danced with him, putting her head on his chest.
She liked being in his arms, she felt safe, like he was here to protect her. She smiled to herself and said to him, "Y'know this is nice. I've never felt like this with anyone.even Eric."
"Me too," he said a bit mechanically.
She didn't even notice.
She looked at him in the eyes and she kissed him.
She felt his tongue slide into her mouth, going farther in, and suddenly she was choking.
Her eyes opened wide.
She watched as Chris morphed into a horribly burned man who was choking her with his elongated tongue.
* * * * *
Chris watched as Karen coughed and then suddenly began choking in her sleep.
The kids backed away, and the teacher jumped back into the chalkboard.
"What the fuck is wrong with you guys?" Chris shouted and jumped over the desk and swiftly went to the girl.
"Karen," he shouted, "Karen wake up!" He shook her shoulders.
"No don't she's just having a nightmare, she has to face it, she'll be fine," Jeremiah said, trying to reassure the kids that things would be fine.
"What the fuck do you know? Look at her! Do you think people do that during nightmares you fucking prick?
Jeremiah stepped back in awe.
He watched as Chris yelled her name, and tried to wake her up.
Her face was turning blue and purple.
Suddenly the class bell rang loudly, filling the room.
No one moved and finally Karen shouted, "No!" Her eyes were open wide, and horrified, and she gasped for air, and fell into Chris's arms.
The kids stared at her for a few moments and left. Spike came running into the room and said, "Chris! Karen!" They turned to look at him. "You Ok?" They nodded and he said, "Good. C'mon, we need to talk."
"Yeah. Take Karen. I'll get our stuff." He handed the still shaken Karen to Spike, and watched as they walked out of the room. He grabbed his pack and stuffed in his pen and notebook.
He turned back to get Karen's things when the teacher said, "I told you she'd wake up." Chris stopped and looked him in the eyes and said, "Thanks to the bell, not you. Another 30 seconds, and you'd have another dead student."
"You don't believe that stuff I said earlier do you? It was old classic shit."
"I've done the dream thing. None of it is good. You don't find out anything good, it's all bad."
He picked up Karen's things.
"Chris." the teacher began, but Chris cut him off by "flipping the bird" and said, "Fuck off Mr. Hinojosa," and walked out of the room.
